I of course did dutifully as I was bidden, and, truth to tell, was by no
means sorry to regain my hammock, having soon found that my strength was
by no means as great as I had expected. That same night I suffered from
a considerable accession of fever, and in fine was confined to my
hammock for rather more than three weeks from that date, at the end of
which I became once more convalescent, and--this time observing proper
precautions and a strict adherence to the doctor's orders--finally
managed to get myself reported as once more fit for duty six weeks from
the day on which Smellie and I rejoined the _Daphne_. I may as well
here mention that the fog which so inopportunely enveloped us on the day
of my conversation with Mr Austin did not clear away until just before
sunset; and when it did the horizon was clear all round us, no trace of
a sail being visible in any direction from our main-royal yard.

CHAPTER SIXTEEN.

A VERY MYSTERIOUS OCCURRENCE.

In extreme disgust at the loss of the notorious _Black Venus_ Captain
Vernon reluctantly gave orders for the resumption of the cruise, and the
_Daphne_ was once more headed in for the land, it being the skipper's
intention to give a look in at all the likely places along the coast as
far north as the Bight of Benin.

This was terribly tedious and particularly trying to the men, it being
all boat work. The exploration of the Fernan Vas river occupied thirty
hours, whilst in the case of the Ogowe river the boats were away from
the ship for four days and three nights; the result being that when at
last we went into Sierra Leone we had ten men down with fever, and had
lost four more from the same cause. The worst of it all was that our
labour had been wholly in vain, not a single prize being taken nor a
suspicious craft fallen in with. Here we found Williams and the prize
crew of the _Josefa_ awaiting us according to instructions; so shipping
them and landing the sick men Captain Vernon lost no time in putting to
sea once more.

On leaving Sierra Leone a course was shaped for the Congo, and after a
long and very tedious passage, during the whole of which we had to
contend against light head-winds, we found ourselves once more within
sight of the river at daybreak.

It was stark calm, with a cloudless sky, and a long lazy swell came
creeping in from the southward and eastward causing the sloop to roll
most uncomfortably. We were about twelve miles off the land; and